Bit of window dressing won’t save sinking ship

Posted By: September 25, 2015

“Peter Robinson, in an attempt to out manoeuvre Mike Nesbitt, has been making a mockery of the institutions with his ministers resigning and then being re-instated and the party’s MLAs keeping attendance to a minimum – except that is when they sit on the finance committee and want to prevent Jamie Bryson giving evidence in public session.”

Allison Morris. Irish News. Thursday, September 24, 2015

Working as a journalist covering security in Northern Ireland is rarely dull. I find myself privy to all manner of information to share with you the loyal Irish News readers.

However, on occasions I’m left wondering if people confuse me with a social worker, solicitor or even a priest given the amount of irrelevant and unprintable information fired in my direction.

That’s pretty much how I imagine former members of the Independent Monitoring Commission must have felt when sifting through information relating to the paramilitary ceasefires during their

seven-year tenure.

Separating fiction from fact, assessing what was relevant and what wasn’t, reporting it back as accurately as possible, the IMC provided an important role in keeping a transitional peace process afloat.

Headed up by Lord Alderdice who oversaw the work of three security experts, the reports were intended to maintain confidence in the paramilitary ceasefires during the embryonic stages of the political process.

At times the findings made for difficult reading for both the British and Irish governments.

If the reports were too critical the authors were often accused of having an agenda, ‘securocrats’ remember that often used word, later decommissioned.

The reports threw up some uncomfortable findings with regards to both republican and loyalist ongoing paramilitary activity, long after those organisations had committed to a laying down of arms.

The body concluded the Northern Bank robbery was sanctioned by the IRA, it also reported the murder of Shankill Road man Bobby Moffett was sanctioned by the UVF.

But while the IMC played an important role, it was a body very much of its time and that time has long since gone.

Any allegations of criminality by members or former members of paramilitary groups is now a policing not a political matter.

And so the new three-member panel made up of security expert Lord Carlile, civil servant Rosalie Flanagan and barrister Stephen Shaw have a very different role from that of its predecessor.

The time scale alone given to the panel, who will report back to Secretary of State Theresa Villiers in just a few short weeks, would indicate that this is more window dressing than any real in-depth investigation or analysis of existing paramilitary structures.

Chief Constable George Hamilton has already given his assessment of who he believes was involved in the murder of Kevin McGuigan and as the most senior officer in Northern Ireland we would assume he has access to information held by both MI5 and the National Crime Agency.

The very same information the three-person panel will now be privy to.

In reality the panel are being used, not to give an accurate security assessment, but to help create space for political talks.

Peter Robinson, in an attempt to out manoeuvre Mike Nesbitt, has been making a mockery of the institutions with his ministers resigning and then being re-instated and the party’s MLAs keeping attendance to a minimum – except that is when they sit on the finance committee and want to prevent Jamie Bryson giving evidence in public session.

Then the DUP helpfully showed up in force to argue against a public hearing. This particular drama, regarding allegations of political and financial wrongdoing linked to the sale of the Nama property portfolio has backfired spectacularly.

The failed efforts to prevent the Co Down loyalist speaking publicly only served to create even greater interest in what he had to say.

By the time the session went ahead yesterday Jamie Bryson could have read from the phone book and still have had the biggest audience via the live stream of any sitting of the Finance and Personnel Committee. His allegations have now attracted a huge audience making Peter Robinson’s tenure as leader of the DUP look even more precarious.

And while all this petty politicking continues the public has lost all faith in the political process, devolution and the politicans who continue to run it into the ground.

While Theresa Villiers’s never ending efforts to save the assembly are commendable, it’ll take more than a three-person panel or a bit of window dressing from the British government to save this sinking ship.

Buy The Books

Mac Ireland

Read Fr. Sean McManus’ inspiring story ...

His life-long struggle for justice in Northern Ireleand, now combines with The Holy Land ...

Order your copies of "My American struggle for Justice in Northern Ireland... and the Holy Land —" as well as "Mac Ireland series: Books One, 2 and 3."